This invention relates to a flowable nondigestible oil composition containing a solid nondigestible oil component, which can flow at ordinary and ambient storage temperatures, and to a process for making the flowable nondigestible oil.
Numerous patents have been directed to providing materials which have the physical and gustatory characteristics of triglyceride fats, but which are absorbed to a low extent or not at all by the body. These materials are referred to variously as noncaloric fats, pseudofats, nondigestible fats and fat substitutes. Patents pertaining to such materials include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,582,927, Fulcher, issued Apr. 15, 1986, (fatty esters of malonic acid); 4,582,715, Volpenhein, issued Apr. 15, 1986, (alpha acetylated triglycerides); and 3,579,548, Whyte, issued May 18, 1981, (triglycerides of alpha-branched chain carboxylic acids).
One particular type of compound which has achieved considerable attention as a nondigestible fat is sucrose polyester (i.e., sucrose in which at least four of the eight hydroxyl groups are esterified with a fatty acid). U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,600,186, Mattson, issued Aug. 17, 1971; 4,368,213, Hollenbach et al. issued Jan. 11, 1983; and 4,461,782, Robbins et al. issued Jul. 24, 1984 describe the use of this material as a nondigestible fat in a variety of food compositions.
A problem associated with use of liquid nondigestible oils, i.e., those having a melting point below body temperature (about 37xc2x0 C.), is an undesired passive oil loss effect, which is manifested in leakage of the liquid nondigested fat through the gastrointestinal tract""s anal sphincter. Regular ingestion of moderate to high levels of completely liquid forms of these polyol polyesters can produce this passive oil loss. U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,195, Jandacek, issued Jan. 25, 1977, discloses the combining of higher melting fatty materials such as solid triglycerides and solid sucrose polyesters with the liquid sucrose polyesters in order to control oil loss.
U.S. Pat. 4,797,300 (Jandacek et al.), issued Jan. 10, 1989 discloses the use of certain solid sucrose polyesters which have high oil binding capacity for liquid sucrose polyesters (SPE) and liquid triglycerides, when used at levels of about 10% to 25% in said oils. It is disclosed that because of their high oil binding capacity, these solid sucrose polyesters have outstanding utility as agents to prevent passive oil loss of liquid nondigestible sucrose polyesters, and they are also useful as noncaloric hardstocks to use with liquid digestible or nondigestible oils in the preparation of semisolid fat products such as shortenings and margarines. The oil binding agents of the Jandacek et al. ""300 patent are solid sucrose polyesters wherein the ester groups consist essentially of a mixture of short chain saturated fatty acid ester radicals (C2-C10) and long chain saturated fatty acid radicals (C20-C24) in a molar ratio of short chain to long chain of from about 3:5 to about 5:3, and wherein the degree of esterification is from about 7 to about 8. Jandacek et al. also disclose plastic shortening and other food compositions containing 10-25% of the solid SPE.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,195 (Jandacek), issued Jan. 25, 1977 describes a means of preventing the undesirable oil loss effect through the addition of the polyesters as oil-loss control agents. The oil-loss control agents include solid fatty acids (melting point 37xc2x0 C. or higher) and their triglyceride sources, and solid polyol fatty acid polyesters. Specifically C10-C22 saturated fatty acid polyesters are said to be useful at levels of at least 10%, preferably at least 20%.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,514 (Letton et al.), issued Apr. 26, 1994, discloses edible oil compositions containing a) a liquid nondigestible oil having a complete melting point below about 37xc2x0 C., and b) a solid polyol fatty acid polyester having a complete melting point above about 37xc2x0 C., wherein the weight ratio of b) to a) is from about 1:99 to about 9:91. The solid polyol fatty acid polyester consists of (i) a polyol having at least about 4 hydroxyl groups, wherein at least about 4 of the hydroxyl groups of the polyol are esterified, and (ii) ester groups comprised of (a) fatty acid radicals selected from the group consisting of C12 or higher unsaturated fatty acid radicals, C2-C12 saturated fatty acid radicals, or mixtures thereof, and (b) C20 or higher saturated fatty acid radicals, at a molar ratio of (a):(b) being from about 1:15 to about 1:1. In the solid polyol polyester at least 15% by weight of the fatty acid radicals C20 or higher saturated fatty acid radicals. Further, the slope of the SFC profile of the mixture of a) and b) between 37xc2x0 C. and 21.1xc2x0 C. is between 0 and about xe2x88x920.75.
U.S. Pat. 5,306,515 (Letton et al.), issued Apr. 26, 1994, discloses pourable compositions containing a solid polyol fatty acid polyester, having a complete melting point above about 37xc2x0 C., a liquid nondigestible oil having a complete melting point below about 37xc2x0 C., less than about 90% by weight of a digestible oil having less than 5% solids at 21xc2x0 C.; and less than 10% hardstock; wherein the ratio of (A) to (B) is from about 1:99 to about 9:91 and wherein the pourable composition has a yield point of not more than about 100 dynes/cm2. The solid polyol fatty acid polyester consists of (i) a polyol having at least about 4 hydroxyl groups, wherein at least about 4 of the hydroxyl groups of the polyol are esterified, and (ii) ester groups comprised of (a) fatty acid radicals selected from the group consisting of C12 or higher unsaturated fatty acid radicals, C2-C12 saturated fatty acid radicals or mixtures thereof, and (b) C20 or higher saturated fatty acid radicals at a molar ratio of (a):(b) being from about 1:15 to about 2:1. In the solid polyol polyester at least 15% by weight of the fatty acid radicals are C20 or higher saturated fatty acid radicals. Further, the slope of the SFC profile of the mixture of (A) and (B) between 37xc2x0 C. and 21.1xc2x0 C. is between 0 and about xe2x88x920.75, and the combined level of (A) and (B) in said composition is at least 10% by weight. Examples include compositions containing 65 wt. % liquid digestible triglyceride oil.
Additionally, the following patent documents provide description related to esterified propoxylated glycerins, esterified linked alkoxylated glycerins, and/or esterified epoxide extended polyols: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,861,613 to Pollard; 4,983,329 to Cooper; 5,175,323 to Cooper; 5,273,772 to Cooper; 5,304,665 to Cooper; 5,399,728 to Cooper; 5,512,213 to Cooper; 5,603,978 to White; 5,641,534 to White; EPO Patent Documents 325,010 published Jul. 26, 1989 in the name of White et al.; 667,105 published Aug. 16, 1995 in the name of Ziegert et al.; PCT Publication WO 97/222260; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,273,772 to Cooper; 5,362,894 to Handweker; 5,374,446 to Ferenz; 5,427,815 to Ferenz; 5,516,544 to Sekula; EPO Patent Document 571,219 published Nov. 24, 1993 in the name of Masten.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a flowable nondigestible oil composition containing a solid component at ambient temperature, which flowable oil composition is flowable at ordinary and ambient temperatures, and which flowable oil composition can subsequently be used as an edible nondigestible or partially digestible oil providing good passive oil loss control and good organoleptic properties to foods prepared with them.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a flowable nondigestible composition, such as a flowable nondigestible oil composition, is provided. The flowable composition comprises a liquid component having a complete melt point less than 37xc2x0 C. and a solid component having a complete melt point of at least about 37xc2x0 C., wherein the solid component is in the form of crystallized particles. One or both of the liquid and solid components comprises a material selected from esterified linked alkoxylated polyols, such as esterified linked alkoxylated glycerines; esterified epoxide-extended polyols; and mixtures thereof.
In one embodiment, the solid component comprises a material selected from esterified linked alkoxylated polyols, such as esterified linked alkoxylated glycerines; esterified epoxide-extended polyols; and mixtures thereof; and the liquid component comprises a liquid non-alyoxylated polyol fatty acid polyester such as a liquid sucrose polyester.
In another embodiment, the solid component comprises a solid non-alkoxylated polyol fatty acid polyester, such as a sucrose polyester, and the liquid component comprises a material selected from esterified linked alkoxylated polyols, such as esterified linked alkoxylated glycerines; esterified epoxide-extended polyols; and mixtures thereof.
In yet another embodiment, solid component comprises a material selected from esterified linked alkoxylated polyols, such as esterified linked alkoxylated glycerines; esterified epoxide-extended polyols; and mixtures thereof; and the liquid component comprises a material selected from liquid esterified linked alkoxylated polyols, such as esterified linked alkoxylated glycerines; esterified epoxide-extended polyols; and mixtures thereof.
The flowable composition has a Consistency (K) within the temperature range of 20-40xc2x0 C. of less than about 600 P.sec(nxe2x88x921), where K is determined from a power law model fit of the apparent viscosity versus shear rate data (see Analytical Method Section), and n is the shear index (dimensionless). In one embodiment, the composition can have a Consistency of less than about 400, more particularly less than about 200, and still more particularly less than about 100 P.sec(nxe2x88x921) in a temperature range of 20-40 degrees Centigrade.
The flowable composition can contain the solid component in the form of small crystal particles, typically having a largest dimension of less than about 30 microns, preferably less than about 10 microns, more preferably between 1 and 30 microns, even more preferably between 1 and 10 microns, and most preferably of about 2 to about 5 microns.
The present invention also provides a process for making a flowable nondigestible oil composition comprising a liquid component having a complete melt point less than 37xc2x0 C., and a solid component having a complete melt point of at least about 37xc2x0 C.. The process comprises the steps of:
a) providing a mixture comprising the liquid component and the solid component, wherein at least one of the liquid component and the solid component comprises a material selected from esterified linked alkoxylated polyols, such as esterified linked alkoxylated glycerines; esterified epoxide-extended polyols; and mixtures thereof;
b) melting the mixture of the liquid component and the solid component;
c) crystallizing at least a substantial portion of the solid component; and
d) shearing the mixture of the liquid component and the solid component during the step of crystallizing, thereby forming at least a substantial portion of the solid component into crystallized particles.
According to one embodiment, the process comprises the steps of melting completely the mixture containing the solid component, rapidly cooling the melted mixture to a crystallization temperature, thereby rapidly crystallizing at least a substantial portion of the solid component, and shearing the mixture during the step of crystallizing to form the flowable nondigestible oil composition. Optionally, following the crystallizing and shearing steps, the process can include one or both of the following steps: 1) the step of tempering the crystallized nondigestible oil composition for a time sufficient to substantially completely crystallize all of the solid component, and/or 2) the step of adding a stabilizing amount of a diluent liquid, typically a liquid polyol fatty acid polyester, to the crystallized nondigestible oil composition, or both steps.
These compositions are capable of being stored in a flowable state at ambient and ordinary storage temperatures. Storage at ambient and ordinary temperature avoids exposure of the composition to high temperatures (generally greater than 50xc2x0 C.) usually associated with storage and handling of the nondigestible oil composition in a molten form. Making and storing the nondigestible oil in a flowable form allows the nondigestible oil to be easily handled at ambient handling and storage temperatures, which minimizes the effect of heat and high temperature on the chemical stability of the polyol fatty acid polyester. This results in greater oxidative and flavor stability during extended storage of the nondigestible oil and of food products containing the nondigestible oil. This is particularly advantageous when the liquid component of the nondigestible oil is made from an unhardened (non-hydrogenated) source oil, such as unhardened cottonseed oil. In addition, the flowable nondigestible oil of the present invention can be utilized as a carrier for the application or incorporation of ingredients to foods products, such as flavorings, seasonings, and vitamins.
Without being limited by theory, it is believed that the use of esterified linked alkoxylated polyols, such as esterified linked alkoxylated glycerines; esterified epoxide-extended polyols; and mixtures thereof, provide the advantage that the flowable composition having such materials are less likely to be associated with gastro-intestinal symptoms than are flowable compositions which do not include such materials.